A Swedish massage by a masseuse with head-to-toe tattoos. A restaurant in a castle, a 1905 grey gneiss mansion, the first home in Vermont wired for electricity. A gas-jet fire in the hearth. Rare lambchops. Chocolate mousse. Cherry hearts.

A hammy piano player in the dining room. Romance, ro-schmaltz, circa 2013, with my husband, who made the day a surprise. It was the bomb.